1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a piezoelectric oscillator of the type which comprises a piezoelectric element enclosed in an insulating package. The present invention also relates to a method of making a plurality of such oscillators at a time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A packaged piezoelectric oscillator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2(1990)-105710 for example. The oscillator of this laid-open Japanese application comprises a package body made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and having an upwardly open housing groove for receiving a piezoelectric element. The bottom surface of the housing groove is formed at both ends with a pair of oscillator electrodes in electrical conduction with the piezoelectric element, and the oscillator electrodes are also connected to lead electrodes extending out of the package body. The oscillator further comprises a lid member attached to the package body from above to close the housing groove.
According to the prior art, the housing groove of the package body is rendered wider than the piezoelectric element for facilitating insertion of the latter into the former. However, due to such dimensional relation, the piezoelectric element may positionally or angularly deviate widthwise (sidewise) relative to the housing groove.
It has been found that the oscillation characteristics of the piezoelectric oscillator may be distorted if the piezoelectric element is improperly positioned within the housing groove. It has been also found that the oscillation characteristics of the improperly positioned piezoelectric element may deteriorate in a shorter time than a properly positioned piezoelectric element.